A 20th century case of noma infection following typhoid fever from the Morgagni Museum (Padua, Italy)

Noma is a potentially fatal, gangrenous disease that leads to tissue destruction in the face. It has been proven to develop mostly in children living in extreme poverty. There is a lack of data regarding microbiological analysis of the ulcers, making the knowledge of the bacteria involved and its etiology still unclear. Within this framework, pathological specimens from museological collections could offer relevant improvements for the comprehension of etiology of noma. The Morgagni Museum of Human Anatomy in Padua hosts a unique case of noma dating back to 1902, and two related specimens, a mesenteric lymphatic ganglion and a spleen. The bacteriological analysis of the Museum’s case showed the presence of Typhus bacilli in the patient’s cheek and led to hypothesize the correlation between typhoid infection and noma.
The specimens coming from historical collections may lead to better knowledge about etiology of noma, and potentially prevent its invalidating sequelae.